SM: Rebirth
by Aclarra
Summary: Usagi has died battling the Heart Snatchers and is taken to hell by Death, who has been waiting for her for over a thousand years.
1. Chapter 0: Prologue

This was not the first time Usagi has appeared here. The first was over a thousand years ago when I called to her. However, before she reached me she was snatched back, taken by the Queen of light and all things pure. The Queen did not last long though as I took her instead. Took her from the light, her kingdom and most importantly her daughter.

Usagi opened her eyes and squinted into the darkness, looking for any flicker of life. She shivered and pulled her jacket closer, yawned and stood up and began to feel around. Soon afterwards she felt something. It was soft and warm, and she wanted to wrap her arms around it in this cold, cold darkness. She moved her hand up further just as whatever it was coughed. Usagi jumped out of her skin and fell backwards, toppling back to the hard floor.  
>"Who is it?" She gained her composure and squinted again to try and see the figure she had been touching. A few minutes passed without response. "Hello?"<br>A tapping sounded on the floor, which Usagi now realised was tile, as the room began to take on light. The noise stopped when the figure finally reached her. It was Death, and this was not the first time they had met. Death was not a male nor a female but took on many forms. This time it was wearing a silky white dress that flowed down past its knees and rumpled on the dirty, blood-stained floor. The rest of Death was changing, moulding into other forms and never once staying as one. The faces it took on where those of souls it had captured. Some were beautiful, some were not, some were old and some young. However, all had one thing in common. They all held terror in their eyes.  
>Usagi quickly got to her feet and turned to run but before she could get far Death had her neck in its hand.<br>"Now, now little bunny." The grip loosened, "There's nothing to be afraid of. After all you are already dead so what else can I do?"  
>The panic in Usagi subsided a little knowing that the pain was only minor and would do no harm. For now at least. Death would not let her go without having its fun first.<br>_This must be its new playhouse_, Usagi thought as she took in her surroundings. The room was covered in blotches of brown-red, obviously not paint, and contained no windows. However, light managed to brighten the room and leak from the walls as if the blood on them refused to be trapped in the darkness. A dark wooden door stood to the left of her and she could see shadows pace from left to right below it. She flinched, looked back and stared Death in the eyes.  
>Death was a cruel being who liked playing with its victims before destroying them completely. Once, Usagi was nearly entombed in this hell but was saved at the last minute by her mother who had come and traded places.<br>"So I'm dead once more." Usagi knew what had happened. She knew that she was dead, and she knew that this was not going to be the last time. Sailor crystals are always reborn.  
>Death let her loose and spun on its heels. "By the looks you are giving me I am going to assume you like my new pen, yes?"<br>This time Usagi was smart enough to know not to answer any of her questions. They were what gave Death its strength and detached a crystal from its body before forever joining it to death. Even if not for long, a Sailor Crystal was not safe from the binds of afterlife.  
>"Let's just get this over and done with shall we?" Usagi stood firm and crossed her arms over her chest.<br>"Yes." Death took hold of her arms and moved them aside. "Let's."

The shadows huddled close to the door, hoping to hear what was happening inside. It was not long before the screams started. They giggled and cheered as the sound escalated and became more hoarse. Soon after a red liquid seeped under the door and drenched the shadow's feet. One leaned down and dipped its finger in the puddle. It brought its hand back up to its lips and licked it off, taking delight in another's pain.

Death's low pitched feminine laughter echoed around the castle that was its hell. "I wait for you yet again, Light." The laughter continued and drowned out the afterlife, bringing pins and needles and shivers to every being unfortunate enough to be contained within it.


	2. Chapter 1

Death's voice echoed through the castle. It was a mournful laughter that threatened any Shadow that dared to disturb it. The Princess lay in its arms dead and unmoving. Her arms splayed out to the sides with scratches and wounds covering every visible part of her body.  
>It would not be long before her Crystal emerged and took her from this hell to be reborn but Death would not let go until the final moments. It was love, if you could call it that, which kept pulling her back to it in the afterlife. Pain, suffering and darkness was the only way Death knew how to show affection. It hated itself for it and wished Life would prevail, but that would never be the case.<br>Death rubbed its nails down her cold, wet cheek, taking notice that they were scratching into her face. Little droplets of blood trailed down the side and hit the now-red silk dress it was wearing.  
>Life and Death are the same entity. A two-faced being that both brings happiness and sadness when needed. While it is genderless, its deadly side prefers to take the form of a woman while the good takes the form of a man, but often changing faces. They govern the lives of every crystal in existence and decide who lives and for what length of time. However, they yearn for each other. Life yearns for the pain and for the suffering, while Death yearns for the Light within Life. A light that is always so close to and yet so far away.<p>

As the Princess of Light lay in her arms, Death continued to laugh her sad song and wish for the world to be different, even if just for a moment.  
>Before long the body began to disperse, as if a cloud of cold air breathed in an early Winter morning. Death's hold tightened and she stopped smiling. She pulled her up closer and kissed her on the cheek. After carefully placing the fading body on the floor she picked her dress up in her hands and left through the Shadow door, refusing to turn around or look back at the mess she'd created.<p>

Usagi immediately leaned up in her bed, yawned and looked towards the bright window to the side of her.  
><em>Mum must have come in and opened the curtains<em>, she thought.  
>After rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and checking the clock, realising that she would be late for school she quickly jumped out and got dressed. She grabbed her book bag and shoved her pencil case inside. Her homework sat on the desk in front of her and, scowling, she picked it up and put it in too. Usagi spent the night daydreaming and when she had finally remembered her homework she was too tired to do it.<br>Footsteps hurriedly tapped down the staircase as she made her way to the kitchen and took a piece of toast. She ripped a piece off and stuffed it in her mouth, barely taking the time to chew.  
>Ikuko, her mother, waltzed around the corner and took a look at the mess that was Usagi's hair. "Lucy, you stayed up all night again." Lucy - a new name for a new life.<br>Usagi gulped another piece down. "Chew your food or you'll choke." She sighed and said under her breath, "Silly girl. Probably didn't even finish her homework."  
>Usagi heard her and guiltily looked away, pretending to fix her hair in the reflection on the toaster.<br>While still gorging on the last of her breakfast she finally left for school after saying a quick full-mouthed goodbye to her mother. "Bye mum! Have to go or I'll be late again." She waved and bolted out the door, leaving it to slam shut behind her.  
>Ikuko flinched as the sound rang in her ears and began cleaning the trail of crumbs left behind.<p>

It had been sixteen years ago that Usagi was in Death's world, frightened and alone. She made a promise to herself this time. This time she would try live a full life with the one she loved and would not feel or even see the same suffering so soon after finding happiness.  
>Usagi ran towards the bus stop, hoping the bus hadn't left yet. Upon reaching the stop and asking another student from the same school she found it had yet to arrive and she would be on time for once. She took a seat on one side of the bench and smiled to herself while remembering where she was.<br>Seventeen years ago Usagi sacrificed herself to destroy the Heart Snatchers. It is pitiful, really, how things turned out. While she died the others continued on living and growing and perhaps even forgot about her.  
>She shook her head and made a slight laugh to herself for thinking such a silly thing. There is no way they would forget their Princess.<br>Mamoru was a teacher now, nearly twice the age he was before, and was teaching English at her school. Originally Usagi was a student at another high school but, upon finding Mamoru here, convinced her mother and father to let her transfer.  
>Usagi did not know what to do. Should she one day tell Mamoru who she is? What would be the point? He is much more than twice her age. What would the world say about their relationship?<br>Her head bowed down a little as tears threatened to form.  
>At a time like this there were only four people she wanted to speak to. Mina, Lita, Rei and Ami, wherever they now are. She could not find any trace of them through the people she knew in her past life. Motoko Furuhata was not much help as he claimed to honestly not know where any of the girls had gone to, even Usagi. He made the presumption that Lucy and Usagi looked and acted very similar and even asked if the two were related. Usagi, no, Lucy denied it and quickly left the arcade where he still worked, vowing never to return. She was afraid to be found out. Many things made her afraid these days.<p> 


	3. Chapter 2

_You know what? This is incomplete, but I don't know when I will get to finishing it._

_It's been a while since I've worked on this story and I'm not quite sure what I write will really go with the mood the first two chapters were in. I did re-read it a little bit but oh well. Here's to progression. Hopefully the depression in this incredibly (and annoyingly) short chapter disappears in the next one or two. I feel like I can only seem to write sad things, which bugs me._

* * *

><p>The only feelings I have right now are painful. They torment me and give me nightmares. I cannot live one day of my life without wondering what is next and why I am here - yet again. The Senshi don't get that precious eternal rest we hear so very much about. We only get to see it and spend our living-eternity holding on to those left over pieces.<p>

My life was made to protect the silver crystal, and that is exactly what I intend to do. Yet what can one achieve when most of their loved ones have no idea that they still exist. How do they feel anything except nothingness?

Shifting in the cosy sheets covering my now-warm body, I squeeze Nonu tighter. He lets out a little hiss and, after almost immediately changing moods, places his head in underneath my chin.

It is in this very moment that I feel bliss. Memories of Luna doing the same thing to me in the early morning bring me close to tears. Quickly, I throw them as far back in my mind as possible and focus on the reality of this current moment. No good will come out of making my depression worse.

Nonu begins purring loud enough that it becomes a constant ringing in the back of my head. I keep focused on the sound and calm myself, hoping to get back to sleep.

Before long I find myself staring up at the deathly white ceiling. My eyes feel like they're going to pop out from seeing the same white every day and every night. Running out of things to think about, my mind wanders to every other night. The identical room, the same thoughts, over and over again. Is this all there is for me and for everyone else in this universe, I wonder. Are we meant to have such dull lives?

Minutes later I come to the conclusion I should have made straight away. No, this is not dull. There comes a time when we meet someone we will love for the rest of our life. There comes a time when we make our own destiny. I just haven't reached it yet.

If I had the one choice I wanted most, it would be the simplest decision I've ever had to make. Give me the mortality every other being is so wonderfully gifted. After experiencing the beginning of life many times over there comes a point where I just don't want to any more. I don't feel what I did before. I am numb inside.

I roll over and nearly squish Nonu, forgetting that he's there huddled in my arms.

"Please let me sleep, dreams," I whisper with determination and with some stupid little part of me believing that my dreams will listen or even respond. "I want to rest and in peace."

I seem to have run out of happiness in this life. If there was a restart button on my soul I would press it without hesitation at this very moment.


End file.
